


How Did This Begin?

by oberonthemoon



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-09 22:50:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oberonthemoon/pseuds/oberonthemoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>PJO High school AU. Nico is the main character. Percico is the main plot driver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Did This Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has feelings for Percy, but can't find the words to express them.

I pulled the sleeves of the blue sweater I got from Percy over my hands, and rested my head on them. Across the table, Percy caught my eye from over the brim of his cup and set down his drink, giving me a warm grin. I smiled back at him, much to my own annoyance. I silently cursed myself, lowering my hands back down, and looked out the window to my right, watching the rain drops race down the panes of glass. Percy invited me out to coffee today after finding out that I've been spending so much time by myself. It wasn't that I didn't want to be around my friends; it was just that with exams approaching, I didn't have nearly enough time to keep up a social life and still maintain my usual grades.

Percy was't having any of that, though. When i tried to explain it to him yesterday, he just leaned against the frame of my dorm room's door and pouted at me. And I don't mean one of those, "but how can you bear to say no to this face," pouts; I mean a full on, puppy-eyed, kindergardener pout. And he never does anything half way. His determination to get me out of my pile of books was impressive. If only he put that much effort into studying for his own tests.

But, here I am. I'm sitting in a coffee shop with the biggest goof on the planet, who insisted on ordering hot chocolate.

"So Nico, Annabeth is throwing a party after everybodies exams are finished," Percy told me. "Think you'd be interested in going?"

Annabeth. I liked Annabeth, no doubt about it. She was smart, funny, and confident. Not to mention that she was totally beautiful. That was the problem, though. I couldn't dislike her. Everyone has this running joke that Annabeth and Percy were meant to be. They were best friends since before I knew either of them, and they were so in sync. 

Now, I had a major crush on Percy. When I first transfered to Olympus High, he reached out to me immediately. Maybe he had experience that being the new kid sucked, maybe it was because he is just nice to everyone. I like to think that it was just because of my good looks and sparkling personality (yeah, right). He spared me of the awkward first month of not knowing anyone and not bothering to make any friends because you were worried that no one would want to talk to you. The more I got to know him and how nice and adorably dorky he was, the more I found myself falling for him.

Given that I was head-over-heels for Percy, Annabeth, whom I suspected Percy liked, was not ideal for me to hang around; especially since she was the most likely one to know my secret. None of my friends knew that I played for the other team, and I had sort of refrained from telling them. There wasn't any reason to risk losing my friends after I had just come to know them. It isn't that i thought they would judge me, I just didn't want to be "that kid" again. It was the reason I transfered schools last year. People found out, and my friends suddenly didn't want to talk with me anymore. I was scared that would happen again.

Annabeth was different than them, though. Now, I didn't have any proof of course, but I was relatively certain that she knew that I was gay. After all, she was the cleverest person I knew, and had sort of hinted that she knew. Very subtly, though; nothing any of the others would have noticed unless they were looking for it. I didn't know how I would feel going to the party of my crush's potential love interest. I was't sure how _Annabeth_ would feel about it either. I had no way of telling whether what she had with Percy was romantic or purely plutonic. So, as i looked into Percy's sea-green eyes, of course I had doubts.

"Oh. Um, okay. I guess that would be cool..." I answer. _Why would you say that! What am I going to do?_ I thought.

When Percy's face lit up even more, my worry melted away.

"Really? Great!" He sipped his hot chocolate. "I'm really glad you're coming. We really should hang out more often," he continued. "I feel like I don't see you at all anymore."

I tried to remain indifferent to his comment, but I felt my face grow hot with the comment.  _I hope he didn't see me blush._

"Yeah, uh," I struggled to find the right words. "It's just that with all the tests coming up..." It was a lame excuse, I know, but i was pressured. Hopefully he didn't question it...

"That's no reason not to have study groups."

_Damn._

He smiled, however, and didn't push it further. I sighed inwardly. One of the things I liked about Percy is that he wasn't invasive, nor was he oblivious to his friends' problems. He cared about us, but he wasn't too over-bearing or nosey.

I took a long draught of my cappachino and looked to the persistant precipitation falling outside. I loved the rain. It made my warm drink feel even more comforting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at writing a fanfic. Please, feel free to give me any feedback. You can post your thoughts in the comments, or email me at oberonthemoon@gmail.com. Let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that you notice and I'll make the changes as soon as it is convenient to me. Thank you for your time!


	2. How Did This Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico has agreed to go to Annabeth's party, but things take an unexpected turn.

Some loud music was blaring from the table on the left side of the room.

I was standing in the corner, holding a red cup filled with punch. I already regretted coming to the party.

Sure, it was probably fun for everyone else, but I wasn't exactly an avid party goer. Leo walked over to me from the harem of girls he seemed to be entertaining. He was a cool guy, but having him as my roommate had its pros and cons. For instance, he always managed to cheer me up and had a great collection of games and movies, but he was really distracting when I needed to study. That was why I had kicked him out of the dorm yesterday; too many explosions were coming from the TV for me to concentrate on a textbook.

I was thankful to have him as a friend. He could tell when I was lost in social situations, like right now. He walked up and fist bumped me.

"Nico, what's up man?" he asked.

"Hey Leo, nothing much. How about you?" I responded.

"Same-old same-old, managing the ladies, you know," Leo answered. I looked over his shoulder to see that all the girls that he was previously chatting up had fled in his absence. Managing the ladies indeed.

"So Nico, Perce was looking for you earlier," he said over the music. "I think he's out back on the patio."

"Oh, thanks Leo. I'll go see what's up, I guess." _  
_

I made my way through the hoard of teenagers over to the back door. I had almost reached it when Annabeth caught hold of my shoulder.

"Hey Nico, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked.

"Oh, sure," I answered, confused. _What could she want to talk with me_ _about?_

We walked into the living room, which was empty of people. Her voice lowered.

"Nico, it's about Percy. I'm worried about him," she confessed.

"Percy?" I said. "Why are you worried about him? And why are you telling me this?"

Annabeth bit her lower lip and scrunched up her eyebrows, an expression I was familiar with. It meant she thinking, which usually meant trouble for everyone else.

"I just want to make sure that Percy doesn't get hurt. I mean, he is my best friend," she said.

I was still lost.

"Annabeth, what are you talking about?"

She looked at me funny, as if I were making a joke about a serious situation.

"Nico, didn't you and Percy talk at the coffee shop yesterday?" she inquired.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "He said I was studying too much and wanted to know if I could come to your party."

She looked stumped.

"But I thought that he-" she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"Nico! There you are! I've been looking for you," Percy exclaimed from behind Annabeth. She half turned to glare at him. Once Percy figured out who it was that I was talking to, he suddenly looked terrified.

"O-oh, I'm not, erm, interrupting anything, am I? Because I can just-" he frantically stumbled for words.

"Oh no you don't you scaredy cat," Annabeth said, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards us. She looked expectantly at Percy. Her gaze was icy.

"You'd better explain youself later. For now," she turned to me. "Percy has something to tell you. Don't you, Perce?" she declared. When she looked back, it was like she was looking right through him, daring him to challenge her authority. I had no clue what was going on, but Annabeth was terrifying me.

 "I think I'll go see what Reyna is up to," Annabeth said. Again, she cast a stern look to Percy. She walked away, leaving me alone with Percy in her living room.

"So, what did you need to tell me?" I asked.

"Well... it was more of a question really," he pulled on his shirt collar nervously. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the aquarium this weekend... with me."

I was momentarily at a loss for words. I suddenly found his shoes extremely interesting. When I regained my composure, he was looking at me, waiting for an answer.

"You- you mean like... as in..."

"A date?" he finished.

My gaze flickered upwards, meeting his eyes.

"You're serious? Like this isn't a joke or anything... Leo didn't put you up to it or-"

"Nico," he said. "I'm not joking. I'm asking if you want to go on a date with me to the aquarium."

My mind was racing.  _Really? Me? I always thought- I mean there was never any indication that..._

He was still looking right at me.

"Sure," I said hesitantly. Then, more confidently, "I mean yes, I'd like that a lot."

His smile radiated warmth.

"Awesome," he said.

I was still in disbelief. Of course, I was ecstatic, but I didn't really process any of what just happened. In other words, the rest of the party was something of a blur.

And I think it was the happiest that I've ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at writing a fanfic. Please, feel free to give me any feedback. You can post your thoughts in the comments, or email me at oberonthemoon@gmail.com. Let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that you notice and I'll make the changes as soon as it is convenient to me. Thank you for your time!


	3. How Did This Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's takes Nico to the aquarium. Be warned, I included one of my favorite food combos amidst all the fluff. Sue me, I was hungry.

I had never once seen anyone as facinated with fish as Percy Jackson was.

Why was I not suprised that, in addition to being completely obsessed with the beach and swimming, he was a total fish nerd.

We passed all different kinds of sea dwelling creatures. Some had iridesent scales, some blended in too well to their habitat for me to pick out.

Percy pointed to all of his favorite kinds of fish, and it was so cute to see him this excited about something.

Walking through the aquarium with him was almost like seeing a child experience the world for the first time.

Somehow I doubted that this was the case, considering he new the woman at the entrance by name and had his frequent visitor card stamped six times. One more stamp and he'd get a coupon for his next visit (which he explained to me in earnest because it was, apparenty, extremely important).

For the most part, we just wandered around a bit, going from one exhibit to the next. Then we got to the sea turtles.

We were standing next to each other, admiring the turtles, when Percy slipped his hand into mine.

And, being the graceful and suave person that I am, I promptly slipped on the floor.

"Ooof," he exclaimed, now on top of me.  **I had dragged him down with me when I fell.**

Obviously being mortified, I started apologizing.

"Oh my god, sorry, I'm sorry, I just-I mean- sorry. Sorry."  _Wow, Nico. Nailed it._ _  
_

After managing to untangle our limbs, he sat back and leaned on his hands.

"Why, Nico," he said with a sly grin, eyebrows hitching upwards towards the end. "How... forward."

To which my response involved holding back laughter and shoving him.

"Oh shut up, Percy," I said with humor.

Percy helped me back to my feet, smiling all the while. I brushed at the legs of my jeans.

I was still embarassed by the whole situation when Percy did exactly what I expected him not to do.

His hand, once again, found mine.

 

We walked hand in hand to the food court, Percy without a care in the world. I was, on the other hand, being slightly sheepish showing affection in public. It wasn't like I've ever had any relationships like this before to draw experience from.

He lead me over to a table and walked over to the snack bar to buy some food.

I looked down at my phone while he was gone.

**(1) new message**

It was from Annabeth. I opened it.

**Hey, Nico. How's the date going?**

I replied.

**Pretty well so far. We're at the food court right now. Perce is getting us some fries.**

She texted back.

**Just a heads up, don't be weirded out if he dips them in cocktail sauce.**

I sent another message.

**What? Who does that?**

She was quick to answer.

**I suggest trying it. It's really good. Alright, I don't want to keep you from your bf, bye :)**

I blushed.  _Boyfriend? I didn't know if I could make that assumption... I mean it was our first date..._ _  
_

"Hey, Nico," Percy called. He sat down on the other side of the table, placing the fries between us. "Ever try french fries in cocktail sauce?"

Annabeth certainly knew him well.

"Um, I mean I guess I'd be willing to try them..." I hesitantly said.

He slid the tray over to me. I dipped a french fry in the sauce, and I was definitely not expecting the taste.

Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "This is fantastic!"

The salty fry mixed with the slightly spicy horse raddish in the sauce was accompanied by a suprising... sweetness.

It was the little things I enjoyed the most about Percy: his odd quirks, stange passions, his obsessive need to wear at least one article of blue apparel everyday.

He was interesting, to say the least. And, in that moment, he was all mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at writing a fanfic. Please, feel free to give me any feedback. You can post your thoughts in the comments, or email me at oberonthemoon@gmail.com. Let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that you notice and I'll make the changes as soon as it is convenient to me. Thank you for your time!


	4. How Did This Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico asks Percy to go out on a double date with Frank and Hazel. Nico, Percy, Frank, and Hazel also take over the city! Mwuahaha. Just kidding, Hazel would probably kill them if they tried. I like Frazel and decided "what the hell?" So, um, yeah. Here it is, I guess. Enjoy! (P.s. Sorry that this chapter took a little longer. I couldn't quite think up a plot line in the beginning) Anyway, I wanted to get this chapter done in time for this month's Percico weekend, so here you are. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I was really nervous at first. I had nothing to be nervous about, but my stomach was fluttering around.

 _You can do it Nico. You have nothing to be afraid of, all you have to do is ask_   _him._

The task at hand seemed more daunting than it should be.

"Hey, Percy," I said while craning my neck upwards to look at his face. I was leaning against him while we watched his favorite movie. Big suprise, it was "Finding Nemo."

"Yeah Nico, what is it?" he answered, pulling me closer against his chest. Man, he was gorgeous.

"I was, uh, wondering if you-you know, maybe wanted to go with into the city with Frank, Hazel, and me tomorrow?" I stuttered out.

_Wow Nico. You owned that. Any smoother, and he would be slipping all over the floor. ~~Oh wait, that's you who slips on floors.~~  Shut up, me._

"Sure, I 'd love to!" he answered excitedly.

This was sort of the first time I was the one who asked him to go do stuff, other than just going out to eat.

I felt a sense of relief at his answer. Okay, it was a double date, but it was still nerve racking.

 

The next day came, and we were all piled into Frank's red pick-up truck. Frank and Percy were in the front seats, making idle conversation.

Me? My palms were sweaty. I wiped them off on my jeans and looked over at Hazel. I think she picked up on how nervous I was, because she gave me a reasuring smile.

I was glad to have someone as cool as her for a step-sister.

 

Hazel spun around in a small circle, her curly hair twirling along with the red pea-coat.

"What do you think?" she said with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"It's nice," Frank said.

"Oooh, what about this?" Hazel asked, holding up a navy blue, knit scarf to my neck.

"Uh, I don't know. It looks good, I guess," I answered.

I wasn't really one for shopping. And yet, here we were. Percy and Hazel had insisted on going into the department store as soon as they'd seen it. Frank and I, reluctantly, followed.

Speaking of Percy, he chose that moment to strut out of the dressing room in a ridiculously-cute-on-him charcoal gray vest over a plain white button-up shirt and dark washed jeans.

Funny enough, I couldn't have spoken about Percy in the ten seconds that followed. By that, I mean I was speechless by how attractive he was.

"Well?" he asked.

I am slightly embarassed to say that, while trying to be dramatic and walk straight up to him, put my hands on his cheeks, and kiss him on the lips, I tripped over my own feet and fell on my face. Forget slightly embarassed, I was freaking mortified.

I could tell he was biting back laughter by the badly supressed grin on his face.

"Wow, Nico. I mean, I think that it's a nice outfit too, but you don't have to go falling all over me," he said.

Needless to say, I responded with a few choice phrases. I was getting sick and tired of his dorky puns (even if they were adorable).

Smiling in that department store with an awesome sister, her reluctant-to-be-shopping boyfriend, and a cute boy who had cared about me felt great. More than great, it was fantastic. That freeze-frame of Hazel's smile, Frank's laugh, Percy's dorky grin, and my blushing face; it made me happy. I felt wanted.

I felt loved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first try at writing a fanfic. Please, feel free to give me any feedback. You can post your thoughts in the comments, or email me at oberonthemoon@gmail.com. Let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors that you notice and I'll make the changes as soon as it is convenient to me. Thank you for your time!


End file.
